Speaking at Wired 2012: Scott Harrison

Wired 2012 -- Wired's forthcoming two-day
London event on 25/26 October -- is only days away. Whether you've
already got your ticket, or looking for a great reason to get hold
of one, Wired.co.uk's speaker profiles should give you several
reasons to look forward to the conference.

Today's featured speaker is...

Scott Harrison

Job title: Founder and CEO

Company: charity:water

Scott Harrison's story is a powerful one. Having
spent ten years as a nightclub and fashion promoter in New York
City, Harrison found himself desperately unhappy. In search of a
change, he volunteered onboard a floating hospital of Mercy Ships off the
coast of Liberia, Africa, as a volunteer photojournalist. It was
once Harrison got off ship, exploring the heart of Liberia, that he
realised just how comfortable his life was. The experience
instilled within him a passion for the power of charity.

On returning home to New York City in 2006, Harrison
founded the non-profit organisation charity:water. Turning his
full attention to the global water crisis and the 800 million
people without clean water to drink, he created public
installations and innovative online fundraising platforms to spread
international awareness of the issue.

In six years, with the help of more than 300,000 donors worldwide,
charity: water has raised over $60 million (£37 million) and funded
over 6,500 water projects in 20 developing nations. When completed,
those projects will provide 2.5 million people with clean, safe
drinking water.

Last year Harrison was recognised in Fortune Magazine's 40 under 40 list, and the Forbes Impact 30
list. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
He lives in Tribeca with his wife, Viktoria.

Scott Harrison will be speaking at Wired 2012 --
a compelling two-day event in London, where we bring the values of
Wired magazine to life. For more information and to book tickets,
visit wiredevent.co.uk.